Oct. 28, 2018, 7:23 p.m.

Michael Horner sports his festive ensemble during Game 5 of the World Series. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Years ago, Michael Horner was watching a late spring training game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. There was a young man on the pitching mound who was struggling to get strikeouts and getting walloped by batters.

"I said, 'What are they doing with this young kid?’" Horner recalled. "This kid was terrible. Why in the world was he playing for the Dodgers?